Hearing multiple Republicans describe Paul Ryan as an “intellectual” this week got me wondering why there seems to be a strong need in their party to imagine various Republican celebrities as “intellectual”. It used to Gingrich, or William F Buckley.

I feel that GOP voters have a desire for someone they can trust to do their thinking for them, so they don’t have to. A variation on their consistent pseudo-Fascist desire for a strong leader - someone who can take charge of things so the GOP base can be relieved of angst, guilt, and personal responsibility - and who comes in three flavors:

1. The militaristic strong man who uses violent rhetoric against his enemies.

2. God’s chosen one who’s every action is correct because he is endorsed by the Almighty.

3. Or the Big Brain intellectual who’s got it all figured out so it’s okay if you don’t understand things.

All three fill a need for relief from the terrifying burden of making choices oneself. Just follow the leader and you needn’t be troubled by thought again.